Abstract

Extracted from text ... Professional Nursing Today November / December 2005 Vol. 9 No. 6 32
Leanne Rees RD (SA)
Introduction
Infants are born with an acquired
immunity system. The effectiveness
of this immunity drops significantly
over the first two months. Until after
8 weeks infants begin to build up
their own immune response to disease.
However, during this time, their
immune response is very weak compared
to that of an adult. They are
especially vulnerable to bacteria which
cause diarrhoea. It is for this reason
that extra care should be taken with
regards to bottle feeding, sterilisation
and basic hygiene practises. This ..